As a first example of this kind of a conventional image pickup apparatus, there exists, for example, an apparatus such as described in Patent Reference 1. The Patent Reference 1 is a patent application filed before by the applicant of this patent wherein there is described an apparatus relating to a video camera in which it is constituted such that visibility of an electronic viewfinder is heightened by attaching an electronic viewfinder so as to be freely opening, closing and rotating with respect to a main body portion of a video camera and it is made possible to have correspondence with various usage embodiments of a video camera.
The video camera described in the Patent Reference 1 has a feature in “in a rotation supporting portion for rotatably supporting one side edge portion of an electronic viewfinder for monitoring a video signal imaged by an imaging means which is housed in a main body portion such that the other side edge portion departs from the housing portion on the side face of aforesaid main body portion, it is constituted such that an auxiliary rotation means having a rotational axis in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis of aforesaid rotation supporting portion intervenes and one of the two sides of aforesaid electronic viewfinder is selected such that it can be housed into aforesaid housing portion”.
According to a video camera having such a constitution, there is expected an effect such as “since the electronic viewfinder is made freely rotatable in two directions of a direction in which the other side edge portion thereof may depart from the housing portion on the side face of the main body portion and a direction in which a rotational axis is possessed in a direction orthogonal to this rotational axis and it is possible to select one of two sides of the electronic viewfinder so as to house it, it is possible to prevent damage, scratch or adherence of stain on the display surface of the electronic viewfinder and at the same time if it is housed such that the display surface of the electronic viewfinder can be seen, it can be used even while the electronic viewfinder is maintained to be housed” or the like.
However, in case of such a video camera, it was constituted such that the electronic viewfinder on the side face portion of the case body housing the imaging means is freely rotatable to the side direction thereof and is supported freely rotatable also to the up and down direction thereof, but there occurred the following problems as being explained with reference to FIG. 20, FIG. 21 and FIG. 22. FIG. 20 to FIG. 22 explain use states of a video camera 1 in the past, wherein a reference numeral 2 is a case body as an image pickup apparatus body housing an imaging means and a handle 3 extending in a front and rear direction is provided on an upper portion of the case body 2. A microphone 4 is provided integrally on a front portion of the handle 3 and a viewfinder 5 is provided on a rear portion thereof.
Also, a lens device 6 projecting forward is mounted on a front portion of the case body 2 and a liquid crystal display 7 is mounted on a side face portion of the case body 2. The liquid crystal display 7 is made to be freely rotatable in a horizontal direction which is a side direction with respect to the case body 2 approximately by 90 degree and is constituted such that it can be held by an arbitrary position between a display “closing” state in which it is housed in a side face portion of the case body 2 and a display “open” state in which it is turned approximately by 90 degree so as to be projected to a side direction thereof. Further, the liquid crystal display 7 is constituted such that it is freely rotatable approximately by 180 degree also to an up and down direction and in a state in which it is turned by equal to or more than a predetermined angle to the open side (see FIG. 20), it is possible by turning it to the up and down direction (see FIG. 21) to take a state facing the display surface to rear direction and a state facing the display surface to front direction.
By taking such a constitution, if it is attempted to support the video camera 1 by setting the display surface at the height of eyes, for example, in a state facing the display surface of the liquid crystal display 7 to rear direction as shown in FIG. 20, an angle α0 made by an upper arm line AB connecting a joint of shoulder A and a joint of elbow B of a photographer and a perpendicular line AV dropped perpendicularly from the joint of shoulder A and an angle β0 made by a lower arm line BC connecting the joint of elbow B and a joint of wrist C and the upper arm line AB increase concurrently. In order to support the video camera 1 in this state, it has to be supported by adding a big power to the hand, so that not only fatigue of the photographer increases but also there was a problem that the display surface cannot be stabilized owing to its shaking.
Also, as shown in FIG. 21, if the video camera 1 is supported by pressing the tip of the viewfinder 5 to the breast such that the display surface of the liquid crystal display 7 will not shake and the display surface of the liquid crystal display 7 is directed to the eyes of the photographer in this state, an angle γ0 made by a horizontal eye line EH when the eyes see a horizontal direction and a display surface directed eye line ED when the eyes see display surface will increase. Therefore, it is necessary for a photographer to swing his head hugely in the up and down direction in order to the subject and the display surface alternately, so that not only his neck became tired but also there was a case in which a picture recording chance was missed.
Further, as shown in FIG. 22, in case of taking a picture by a low angle by holding the video camera 1 from which the liquid crystal display 7 is projected to the side direction while the hand F is lowered, it is necessary to support the video camera 1 by making it away from the leg G by a distance S0 in order to avoid the liquid crystal display 7 from hitting the leg G of the photographer. Therefore, an angle θ0 made by an arm line AC connecting the joint of shoulder A of the photographer and the joint of wrist C and the perpendicular line AV dropped perpendicularly from the joint of shoulder A increases to a certain degree. In order to support the video camera 1 in this state, posture for making the hand F away from the body must be taken, so that it was necessary to support it by adding a big power to the hand F and there was also a problem that cramped posture which feels weight easily must be taken.
As a second example of the image pickup apparatus in the past, there also exists such as described, for example, in Patent Reference 2. In the Patent Reference 2, there is described a device relating to an operation display device for displaying an operation when taking a picture by a video camera. The operation display device described in the Patent Reference 2 has a feature in “a display portion is mounted on a handle portion provided on an uppermost portion of a main body such that it can be housed, aforesaid display portion is made to be buried in or projected from with respect to aforesaid handle portion and concurrently, aforesaid display portion is provided so as to be confirmed from the rearward of aforesaid main body at least in a state in which aforesaid display portion is projected”.
According to an operation display device having such a constitution, there is expected an effect such as “an LED which is an indicator is provided at a handle portion lying on the uppermost portion of the camera body, so that it is possible to confirm the operation display from the rear side easily and also, it has a constitution mounting the indicator such that it can be housed in the handle portion, so that it is possible by burying the indicator within the handle portion when not taking a picture to protect it with respect to external shocks” or the like.
However, in case of such an operation display device, the display portion was provided in order to confirm whether or not the camera is operating and it was not possible to confirm the state of the subject. Furthermore, the display portion of the operation display device was provided to make it possible to confirm the operation display from the rear side and it was not constituted such that video can be displayed.
As a third example of an image pickup apparatus in the past, there also exists such as described, for example, in Patent Reference 3. In the Patent Reference 3, there is described an apparatus relating to an image pickup apparatus of a video camera or the like provided with a video monitor unit. This image pickup apparatus has a feature in “a video monitor unit is arranged in the vicinity of an image optical system and also at a front portion of the image pickup apparatus on the side opposite to the camera grid with respect to the center of the image pickup apparatus”. According to an image pickup apparatus having such a constitution, there is expected an effect such as “by arranging a monitor display at a front portion of the image pickup apparatus such as a camera or the like, a large sized preferable picture monitor which can be confirmed by both of the eyes can be realized” or the like.
Also, as a fourth example of an image pickup apparatus in the past, there also exists such as disclosed, for example, in Patent Reference 4 and use application of the image pickup apparatus will be outlined with reference to FIG. 23 and FIG. 24. An image pickup apparatus 100 is constituted by a case body 111 made by a hollow housing, a lens device 109 mounted on a front face of the case body 111 so as to be projected, imaging means, which is not shown, for forming a video signal of a subject according to a light inputted from the lens device 109, a display device for displaying a video according to a video signal formed by the imaging means or information recorded beforehand on an information recording medium (memory device of imaging means), etc.
For the display device, a device having a relatively large picture screen such as being used as a monitor by means of a liquid crystal display panel 101 or the like for confirming a picture taken or the like and a small sized display device are built-in, and there is provided with an electronic viewfinder 102 freely rotatable to the upper direction as shown in FIG. 24. The electronic viewfinder 102 is a device which is used when there is trouble in seeing pictures of the liquid crystal display panel of a large picture screen or the like caused by outside light particularly under a bright daylight or the like and then when taking a picture in which camera work commencing with framing is brought out adequately is to be carried out or the like.
Then, the electronic viewfinder 102 is provided, as shown in FIG. 23, so as to be protruded from the case body 111 on the rear side in the light axis direction of the lens device and at the upper portion of the back face of the case body 111, more specifically, approximately at a straight upper portion of a housing portion of a battery 107 approximately in parallel with the light axis thereof. A turning axis which is not shown of the electronic viewfinder 102 is arranged at an upper portion on the back face of the case body 111 and it is constituted such that it can turn around the rotational axis within a region of a predetermined angle.
Also, as shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, the battery 107 for supplying electric power to the image pickup apparatus is mounted detachably on a concave depression portion formed at a back face of the case body 111. With respect to the exchange of this battery 107 in case of a normal state in which the electronic viewfinder 102 is directed approximately to light axis direction as shown in FIG. 23, the upper portion of the electronic viewfinder 102 is first turned so as to be in an obliquely upward state as shown in FIG. 24. Then, the upper portion of the battery in the battery housing portion is to be exposed so as to make a space in which a manual operation is available by inserting fingers. Next, the top and bottom or the right and left of the battery 107 are grasped by fingers of one hand and the battery 107 is unlocked while pushing a fixing release button 108 by a finger of the other hand. Thereafter, an exchange operation was carried out according to a procedure in which another battery is mounted and the electronic viewfinder 102 is return to the primary position.
Also, in this image pickup apparatus, the rotational axis of the electronic viewfinder 102 is to be arranged at the upper portion of the back face of the case body 111 and at an upper portion of the battery housing portion, so that it was constituted such that the mechanism for this turning is to be provided on the rear side of the case body 111.
However, as an image pickup apparatus such as for business use which is used in a job site of a news report or the like, an apparatus such as one which can work speedily and certainly by one action without changing a setting position as much as possible has been desired and for the battery exchange in an image pickup apparatus in the past, there were required three actions of at least turning of the electronic viewfinder 102 and thereafter, battery exchange and state restoring of the electronic viewfinder 102, so that shortening of the operation (one-action making) has been desired.
Also, in the image pickup apparatus in the past, the back face of the case body 111 at the upper portion of the battery 107 which becomes an upper portion of the battery housing portion was cut to be open and the electronic viewfinder 102 is housed there freely rotatably and further, the rotational axis of the electronic viewfinder 102 and the like are also arranged therein, so that there was an inconvenience in which the strength at the back face of the case body 111 becomes insufficient. Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the coupling portion of the handle 104 and the case body 111 in which the rotational axis of the electronic viewfinder 102 is provided is housed in a protuberant portion at the rear portion of the case body 111 such that the image pickup apparatus itself becomes huge or a huge projection is made rearwards the electronic viewfinder 102, so that there was also inconvenience that it was difficult to differentiate the product from the viewpoint of design.                Patent Reference 1: Japanese laid-open publication H8-125890        Patent Reference 2: Japanese laid-open publication H2-162875        Patent Reference 3: Japanese laid-open publication H5-191698        Patent Reference 4: Japanese laid-open publication 2001-189883 (Page 2, FIG. 2)        